Rob D’Arco, Rival Systems’ CEO, joined the lineup of esteemed professionals at the 2016 MarketsWiki Education Series in Chicago on July 12. John Lothian News hosts MarketsWiki Education Series in Chicago and New York annually. The series encourages young professionals to start a career in the financial markets by providing insight into the industry, current trends and career lessons.


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By Doug Ashburn, COO and Editor-at-Large, John Lothian News:

“It’s an exciting time for technology in the trading industry. Never before has technology been so instrumental across all aspects of the financial markets.”

When Rob D’Arco was tasked with the design of an options trading platform 15 years ago, he was admittedly nervous. Though his management consulting and technology background had prepared him for the assignment from a competency standpoint, he knew nothing about trading environments and trader mentality, aside from a few horror stories about working with traders and trading groups.

In the end, he was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to work with the traders, who took the time to patiently work with him on the design and building of the platform. The lesson? The traders had a vested interest in getting the right technology into their hands as quickly as possible, which aligned perfectly with his interest in learning about the markets.

The core of the system they built is now a key component of his firm, Rival Systems, which supplies technology and technology solutions to market participants. He says success in the fintech world comes from a repeating cycle of innovation, incubation and monetization. Technology, for all its benefits, “is worthless if it does not help the company make money,” says D’Arco.

Sounds like he understands the trader mentality quite well.